Hello everyone! Today, I have the privilege of interviewing a very kind and supportive person. I hope you will welcome, Joyce Van Kirk!

Joyce, please tell us a little about yourself. My name is Joyce Van Kirk. I have been married for 39 yrs to my husband Chuck. We have three beautiful children together. We have lived in the Philadelphia area most of our lives. When I had my last child I had decided not to go back to work but to stay home and raise my children. I then started babysitting nieces and nephews and last of all my grandchildren. In 2009 I had a dream come true when my first book The Six Forest Friends was published. What is the title of your book?The Six Forest Friends [it’s a series with a total of 10 books. Only 2 so far have been published]Please, tell us a little about your book. The Six Forest Friends is about these cute little forest animals Matty the squirrel; Jay the bluebird; Manda the rabbit; Lexi the doe; Jule the skunk and Erc the snake they meet in a unique way. They help each other and become friends even though they are different.What genre do you write?Children and some Young AdultsWhat inspired you to write this book?My grandchildren are my inspiration of writing this book.How long have you been writing?I would say for about 6 to 8 yrs 7. What is your favorite place to market your book? What is your favorite way to promote yourself and your book?I would have to say the Internet. It is truly the way to go. I believe it helps a lot. I have a facebook, twitter, Goodreads and a lot of other pages on the web to help me promote my booksWhich of your characters is your favorite and why? Oh I would really have to say all of them because everyone one of them is a part of my grandchildren!Do you have other books? Yes I do have other books; Matty the Squirrel is the second book to the series [The Six Forest Friends], Sammy, the Fox Learns About Easter, Against Bullying Club; The Little Brave One; and my recent one Against Bullying Club 2.What is your hope for your book?My hope for my book is that children enjoy reading it and learn that you can be friends with anyone no matter who you are.

Besides writing, what are some of your other hobbies and interest?I love watching night shows Blacklist; Chicago Fire; CSI; Blue blood; Hawaii Five-O; Criminal Minds to name a few. I also enjoy reading Drama, Romance, ext. I started a great hobby over fifteen years ago doing my family tree. Now that was one great hobby I really enjoyed. I got to meet distant cousins and it was a great feeling…What draws you to the genre that you write?You know after raising three children. Babysitting so many nieces and nephews then finally taking care of some of my grandchildren. Who couldn’t think of anything but children books? They showed me so many things about how very different they are. I used to sit on my chair and just listened and watched them so closely that one day it just happened. I got up and grabbed paper and a pencil and started writing. I didn’t have a computer at the time either so everything was done on paper. It all fell into place and my six beautiful grandchildren created The Six Forest Friends….If you are a children’s author, do you illustrate your own books?Yes and No if that makes any sense. So I will explain. I drew the pictures, but to me they came out not quite what I wanted so I had someone to help me by making them look better.Is your book educational? If so, how so?I believe it is in a way, it teaches children a very important lesson in helping others and friendship…Is there a message, a lesson, or a moral to your story?If so, would you want to share it?I believe that children need to know that just because you are different doesn’t mean you can’t become friends. So who or where you come from shouldn’t matter at all… Do you make your own covers?Yes I did to some of them. What are / were your favorite and least favorite subjects in school and why?My favorite will have to be Art class. I loved and enjoyed going to my art class every day. I enjoyed learning all the techniques of drawing. My least favorite would have to be English class I truly hated it with a passion. I just didn’t get along with the teacher!Do you have a blog and website?I am still working on them…My website: http://mypublishedbooks.webs.com/My Blog: http://jvankirk55.wordpress.com/What is your favorite place to write?In a quiet room, where the only sound you hear is your own breathing.

Jodi Desautels

Jodi Desautels is a wife and mother. She is a life-long learner who has two rules to live by: "The Golden Rule" and "Live. Laugh. Love." She loves family, friends, and nature. Passions include caring for people, education, writing, illustrating, and photography.